Ticketless football fans face criminal charges under new stadium law after Euro 2020 final chaos | OneFootball

A new law making it a criminal offence to enter a football match without a ticket comes into force across England and Wales this weekend, just ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley.

The legislation follows a review by Baroness Louise Casey, which highlighted that lives were put at risk when thousands of ticketless fans stormed Wembley during the Euro 2020 final.

Offenders now face severe penalties, including a five-year football banning order and a fine of up to £1,000.

Baroness Casey’s findings had previously criticised weak sanctions for stadium breaches and specifically called for "tailgating" – the act of entering a turnstile directly behind a legitimate ticket holder – to be criminalised.

Policing minister Sarah Jones emphasised the importance of the new measures. Speaking to the Press Association, she stated: "This is a new piece of legislation and, of course, the police are planning on how to implement it."

Offenders now face a five-year football banning order and a fine of up to £1,000 (Baroness Casey Review/Handout/PA Wire)

She added that it provides officers with "more armoury" to "deter and then respond to people who are disrespecting paying fans by trying to get in without paying themselves."

Ms Jones continued: "This is something that I don’t think any party could oppose – it cannot be right that some people pay and some people don’t and that people are put at risk, in danger, when people are tailgating. So we need there to be an appropriate response and a £1,000 fine or five-year football banning order I think will be a great deterrent."

Previously, there were no specific legal penalties for attending a football game without a ticket.

The new Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act also broadens its scope, making it illegal to knowingly attempt to enter a match using forged tickets, passes, or accreditation documents, or by falsely claiming to be stadium or playing staff.

The impetus for this law stems from the independent review of the European Championship final held at Wembley on 11 July 2021.

Baroness Casey’s findings highlighted more than 20 "near misses" that could have led to serious injury or death due to ticketless individuals attempting, and in some cases succeeding, to gain entry for England’s match against Italy.

Approximately 100,000 people travelled to Wembley for the final, with around 2,000 gaining entry without tickets, and 17 mass breaches of the gates occurring in the 90 minutes leading up to kick-off and extending until the penalty shootout.

Further concerns about fan safety and stadium access were raised following issues encountered by Liverpool supporters during their Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris in 2022.

In that instance, authorities were found to be at fault for significant problems around the Stade de France, despite initial attempts to blame Liverpool fans, with legitimate ticket holders denied entry and police using pepper spray and tear gas.